Senior Cell Biologist/Cell Engineer

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 1,800 employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com.

Our work is very important to us, but so is our life outside of work. Draper supports many programs to improve work-life balance including workplace flexibility, employee clubs ranging from photography to yoga, health and finance workshops, off site social events and discounts to local museums and cultural activities. If this specific job opportunity and the chance to work at a nationally renowned R&D innovation company appeals to you, apply now www.draper.com/careers.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Draper is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. We understand the value of diversity and its impact on a high-performance culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.

Draper is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, please contact hr@draper.com.

Draper has an immediate opening for an experienced Cell Biologist/Cell Engineer who thrives in a multidisciplinary environment and enjoys solving unique, challenging, and high-impact problems using cutting-edge technologies for manufacturing cell therapy, organ-on-chip tissue models, biomedical devices and diagnostics, and other biotechnology applications. We are seeking a scientist who is well versed in an array of interdisciplinary areas, that could include cell and molecular biology, cell/tissue engineering, genetic modification (e.g., gene editing), and/or immunology. A successful candidate will have a strong leadership background, excellent communication and organizational skills, and personal drive to enable them to thrive in Draper's fast-paced and collaborative environment. The selected candidate will join a diverse and accomplished team of biologists, physicists, and engineers and must thrive on collaborative ideation and project execution. We offer a distinctive atmosphere blending the best aspects from academia, government, and industry and that fosters innovation, teamwork, intellectual freedom and creativity, and career development.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaboratively design diverse research projects, participate in internal and external funding opportunities, and supervise research teams focused on improving cell therapy outcomes
• Innovate and collaborate with mechanical and material engineers to design and characterize novel devices for genetic manipulation of cells
• Plan and execute BSL2 biological experiments, and train and supervise junior staff, including within cell culture and molecular biology assay and development.
• Present and publish results at internal and external forums
• Manage interactions with external collaborators on ongoing projects, generate new project concepts, and actively participate in writing academic, government, and commercial grants and proposals
• Assist with ongoing development of internal capabilities and strategies by providing technical expertise and thought leadership.

Required Qualifications:

• PhD or MS with 5 or more years of experience in biology, biological engineering, or related field
• Expert knowledge of and demonstrated and extensive, hands-on experience in mammalian cell biology (including experience with immune cells), molecular biology, genetic engineering (gene editing), and/or cell and tissue engineering
• Extensive project leadership and management experience, including personnel management
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with history of active public, academic or customer presentations and peer-reviewed journal publications
• Demonstrated ability to multitask, work in a dynamic and diverse project environment, and adapt to changing priorities
• Demonstrated background in conducting collaborative and highly diverse translational research

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Preferred Experience & Capabilities:

• Experience writing innovative R&D proposals to commercial and/or government sponsors and generating intellectual property (IP)
• Experience teaming with sponsors, collaborators, and/or customers
• Expertise in immunology and immunophenotyping and/or immune-oncology preferred
• Organ-on-chip, bioprocessing, or cell therapy manufacturing R&D experience in commercial setting a plus
• Bioinformatics and coding experience a plus
• Engineering background and/or demonstrated collaborative activities a plus

Candidate must be a US citizen or permanent resident.